White Valley of Slaughter - Who was the Buried Hero?

Answering the Questions

Currently we have a number of ideas around our dungeon but nothing connecting them all together. Here I go through considering those questions, coming out with pieces we can use for history, plot hooks, NPCs, challenges, mysteries and rewards.

These can be used to craft a rough backstory and then other elements we randomly generate can easily slot in.

Revisiting the White Valley of Slaughter

We have the following questions

Is the valley a mountain valley or some sort of ravine?

What makes the valley white?

Does the slaughter component refer to an ancient battlefield, a dark ritual or the regular killing of some type of beast?

What's Behind the Vast Metal Door?

Why is the wraith there and why does it seek release?

Who is the Hero buried in the tomb

Why is it the "White Valley of Slaughter"?

Looking at the questions we want to consider some common elements and what might fit together.
- We are trying to fit in a Hero´s Tomb, the White Valley of Slaughter, and What Else is in the Tomb

Q. Is the valley a mountain valley or some sort of ravine? What makes the valley white?

A white ravine could have some sort of white mist or froth from many waterfalls. A mountain valley could have sides covered with white flowers, white stone or some other constructions.

Remembering the giant chalk figures that are found throughout England I quite like the idea of a valley with giant chalk figures. And I could tie this to old memories of a climactic battle in the reason from centuries ago.

It makes sense that after a great battle they would have buried a great hero, but that raises some more questions...

So....long ago in the White Valley of Slaughter there was an ancient battle after which they made a hero´s tomb and the valley is distinctive for the giant white figures of chalk that are carved into the sides....

This gives us some History and the giant white figures may well be a Mystery.

Who is the Hero in the Valley?

This raises some more questions

Does anyone maintain the chalk figures?

What do the chalk figures show?

Who was the hero?

What are the details of the battle?

Let's look at ideas for questions around the battle, the chalk figures and the hero.

Q. Does anyone maintain the chalk figures?

These things need maintaining or they become overgrown, so maybe they are looked after by people descended from the victors of the great battle, or undead cursed after the battle. Maybe priests of a cult or the figures were there before the battle...

Q. What do the chalk figures show?

These should show iconic images from the battle and probably the hero. These should be simple shapes. Maybe one or two figures have been added in later times. I think primal beasts would make good iconic images for some of the chalk figures. The chalk figures could also be significant in other ways, being used in religious rites or having some sort of magic of their own.

Q. What are the details of the battle?

If there was a battle here we want it to be significant to the white valley. So maybe they were fighting over the valley or something nearby. It could be anyone fighting but whatever race should be related to anyone nearby and the race of the hero.

Q. Who was the hero?

The hero could have been famous before the battle, for a particular item they carried or for deeds performed during the battle. Maybe the caves were holy and the hero died defending them during the battle. Maybe the hero's skeleton is one of those in the mysterious fight

Bull of the White Valley

I like the idea of the battle being around one side trying to protect something in the caves where the hero is now buried. The hero died defending the caves and was then buried to keep protecting it. Descendants of the defenders maintain some lore and the chalk figures. Remembering another question about the large skeleton I like the idea of a large hero different to the villagers. I also like the idea of a bull as a primal chalk figure and make the buried hero a minotaur.

So we have some NPCs in the villagers and Plot Hooks of giving PCs connections to these PCs in their backgrounds.

For the Mystery of the Chalk Figures we can make them a Bull, a Minotaur, humans with weapons and leave a few others.

The History can be represented by a festival each year for the villagers who renew the figures and enact the legends that exist in the local lore. The ancient history could be a Plot Hook to lure PCs to the valley.

Final Questions

This leaves us with a few more questions to finish answering next time. We need some Challenges and Rewards